Denver-area public schools announced they would close on Wednesday after a Florida woman known to be infatuated with the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School flew to Colorado and purchased a gun, the AP reports.
The big picture: The FBI considers 18-year-old Sol Pais a credible threat after she "made threats to commit an act of violence in the Denver metropolitan area." The decision to close all Denver-area schools comes just days before the 20th anniversary of the Columbine shooting.
Sol Pais is armed and dangerous. We are operating out of an abundance of caution. The threat is not isolated to one school or individual. Federal, state, and local law enforcement are working together to keep our community safe. Tip Line: 303-630-6227. Media Line: 303-630-6427. pic.twitter.com/KENVT1kEK3
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) April 17, 2019
Details: The threat posed by Pais is "credible and general," according to a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Safety.
- About 20 schools, including Columbine, were placed on lockdown for three hours on Tuesday before the decision to close Wednesday.
- The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday that Pais was last seen in the foothills of Jefferson County outside Denver wearing a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots. It noted that she is "considered armed and dangerous."
Go deeper: 2018 was a record year for school gun violence
- See the full list of school closings here, via CBS Denver.
